The IPCS Collaborative Study on Neurobehavioral Screening Methods: II. Protocol design and testing procedures.
This paper describes the development of the protocol for the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS)-sponsored Collaborative Study on Neurobehavioral Screening Methods, including background on the methods and chemicals selected, as well as details concerning the conduct of the collaborative study, including proficiency testing, range-finding and main study. Participating laboratories in the collaborative study received training in the conduct and scoring of the behavioral tests and each laboratory received a video training film to train additional personnel as needed. Each of the eight laboratories that chose to participate in the study completed proficiency testing and assessed seven representative chemicals using a functional observational battery and automated motor activity assessment. The seven chemicals studied were acrylamide, bis-acrylamide, p,p'-DDT, lead acetate, parathion, toluene, and triethyl tin. Participants received coded samples of the chemicals from a common source. Each laboratory derived doses for single and repeated administration based on the determination of a within-laboratory acute "top dose." Animal strains were not standardized and laboratory conditions were standardized to a limited degree in order to judge the general utility and robustness of these procedures in a diversity of testing situations.
Moser
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Neurotoxicology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, USA.
Tilson
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HA
MacPhail
R C
RC
Becking
G C
GC
Cuomo
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V
Frantík
E
E
Kulig
B M
BM
Winneke
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G
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000633:toxicity*
D015262:Xenobiotics